


Sometimes Sacrifice is What’s Needed

by CallOfTheLoneWolf



Series: Wolf’s Oneshots [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2019-05-19 12:51:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14874072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CallOfTheLoneWolf/pseuds/CallOfTheLoneWolf
Summary: He was given a choice.Live on and help your loved ones survive in a wrecked world.Or.Give a sacrifice to try to save them all.Now, what type of decision is that?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NamelessIceGoddess](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamelessIceGoddess/gifts).



Sasuke had fallen, Gaara had fallen, hell, even Tsunade had collapsed from exhaustion. He was the last of their fighters able to stand up to the power before them. And if not for their faint heartbeats still driving his will he would have fell as well. As he looked over he could see Gaara’s sand still protecting the one he loved even from unconsciousness, wrapping Sasuke and himself in a cocoon before being carried away by the shinobi still able to stand.

 

He was Commander now. The Kage had fallen, only kept alive by Sakura and Kurama’s chakra, and no one else was willing to step up.

 

“Naruto, what do we do now? Sasuke has collapsed, and nobody else is strong enough to face him, I mean we cou—” Naruto just held his hand up and smiled, the kind smile that he rarely showed. The smile that he had learned from his Jiji after sitting in his office for hours on end, just to stave off the loneliness. Sakura had done all she could, hell, they all had. But he would be damned to hell before he let another life be taken.

 

“Order a full retreat, take the army as far away from this place as possible. I’ll cover your retreat and hopefully take the bastard with me.” His statement was met with shocked silence, all of them floored except for Shikamaru. ‘ _Hn,_ _damn_ _Nara_ _was_ _always_ _smarter_ _than_ _he_ _could_ _help’_. Naruto looked over at his longtime friend, and received a nod from the brunette, the Nara already spreading his shadows to grab the others without their notice.

 

“Naruto you can’t! Everyone needs you, we need someone to lead us! We—” but she couldn’t even finish her words as shadows restrained them all, the darkness crawling up their bodies and ensnaring them where they stood. Naruto gave Shikamaru a thankful smile as he walked towards Madara, turning his back to his friends and the now fleeing shinobi. As he came to stand in front of Madara he stared at his previous lover as the Uchiha tried to take rip off the chains that bound him. This man was not the one he cared for, fell for. The last Namikaze shook his head and pivoted on his foot to face his people. Those of the World.

 

He took a deep breath in the silence, flaring his chakra and waking up all who had passed out. “Shinobi of the World! I am ordering a full retreat. Take your loved ones and go! As far away from here as possible, and don’t worry, I’ll be covering your retreat!” Cries of outrage filled the air, but were abruptly cut off when a malevolent chakra burst into the air. _‘Sasuke was always quick to act.’_

 

“Naruto don’t you dare!” But before the last Uchiha could do anything Naruto had already slapped his hand onto the ground, a complex seal array spreading out before a silvery white translucent barrier in the shape of a sphere with many sides sprung into existence around him and his enemy. Sasuke had moved as soon as Naruto had, but had been too slow. As he fell to his knees in front of the barrier Sakura and Kakashi came up to join him, both holding terrified looks on their faces.

 

“Naruto, as your Sensei I’m demanding you tell me what this is.” Kakashi voice was panicked, he damn well knew what it was, his own Sensei had theorized of this technique, but had burned the notes due to the danger. But apparently not all of them.

 

Naruto smiled. “Like Father like Son eh Kakashi-sensei? This is the last Sealing Art of the Uzumaki, and the only one they could never complete, not even my Father with his vast knowledge of Fūinjutsu, could figure out how to complete it.” The blond sighed as he looked at the barrier around him, “It’s called the One Thousand Reflections of Life, and uses the users Life Energy, something far more potent than chakra, to create an unbreakable barrier, but once the technique is released the Essence tries to return to its owner which is impossible, thus creating an explosion greater than any Tailed Beast Bomb. In fact, it would destroy the planet. But I perfected it, devising a way to contain the explosion.” Silence filled the space between his words as dread filled the air.

 

His face turned grim from behind the barrier. “The only downside is that the user has to stay inside the barrier, thus making it impossible to survive.” Everyone was quiet, grief stricken looks on their faces.

 

They had nothing to say to that, there was nothing to say. Sakura just placed her hand on the barrier, Sasuke’s on top of hers with Kakashi following. Naruto smiled as tears fell from their eyes, he placed his hand upon the barrier, feeling their life through it as he brought his cloak into being, the orange fire emblazoning itself into their minds, this would be the last time they would see him, all of them seeing as Naruto closed his eyes as tears filled them. “Now go and finish what I started, unite the world as I never could.” They each gave him a nod as they were dragged away from the barrier by other shinobi, his friends each placing their hand upon the barrier in a final show of recognition. And as they ran off into the distance he turned to face his love.

 

“I guess this is it Madara, our final time together after all of this hate.” The Uchiha just looked at him, his emotions long since left though something still flickered there.

 

“Yes, I guess it is Naru.”


	2. Chapter 2

They just stared at each other. It was all they could do. Lovers. Lovers who broke apart due to a thirst for power. Madara had destroyed it all for the promise of power, and he had damn sure got it.

 

Red eyes opened again, the design in them once used to memorize every inch of him, every _place_ that he enjoyed. Now they were used to kill, to maim. It tore him to pieces. What was once used to love him had turned and been used to murder his friends. His _comrades_.

 

Oh, Naruto was **_furious_**.

 

He managed to breath out one word, which sounded akin to a borderline snarl. “ _Why_.”

 

Madara looked shocked for a split second, but quickly fixed his expression. “You know why, or do I have to explain it to you again you impute—”

 

“ ** _Shut Up!_** ” It was the first time he had heard Naruto yell in anger, the carefree blond always silent when something had bothered him. But before he could even react he was lifted off the ground by his collar, the chains moving with him, to come face to face with his love. His eyes had turned purple, a color honestly more terrifying than red, as his pupils turned into slits. “I’m _tired_ of your shit!” Madara was near slammed into the ground as Naruto dropped him, still restrained.

 

However the scene was quick to change as Naruto had fallen to his knees clutching his heart, face showing a slimmer of the excruciating pain he experienced. Madara felt a flicker of worry course through him. “Are you Al-“

 

“S-shut the h-hell up!” The ninja glared at him, one of his eyes now red instead of purple. “Y-You… You lost all rights to c-care for my wellbeing w-when you betrayed-d me!” Tears were now falling freely, hurting the older man when he realized he was the cause. “You told me you w-wanted a world where no one you loved w-would die! You s-said that! But you also t-told me that you loved me more than anything you had ever known!” Naruto had collapsed at that point, knees giving out and tears on his face as his grip on his chest weakened. His last words to Madara were some of the most hateful things he’d ever spoken, and he doubted he would ever come to regret them. “Well I hope you die happy knowing the fact that the **_thing_** that killed the person you loved was _you_ , not the world.” And as the last word slipped from his lips Naruto stopped breathing, eyes closing as he entered Death’s embrace. With the will of the caster weakened, the chains that held Madara had broken and the barrier began pulsing in its final stages, but he didn’t care, he had realized his mistake too late, once again. Madara Uchiha had failed yet again. He rushed over to the still warm body, gently drawing the still blond into his arms, clutching it to his chest as he held him one last time. As grief consumed the Uchiha tears of blood had begun to fall from his eyes as they rapidly switched from form to form, red overtaking red only to be swapped with purple as the cycle repeated. He was broken, and he had no one to blame but himself, he had done this, there was no other to point to. Madara pressed his face into Naruto’s once vibrant spikes, taking in his scent one last time. “ _I’m sorry_ ,” he whispered, _“I’m so, so sorry._ ” But sometimes sorry doesn’t cut it.

 

The barrier flashed around them as it slowly started to break, changing the world forever.

 

* * *

 

Naruto had left the living for the final time, but he needed to do one last thing.

 

“Kurama.” The fox looked at him with a final grin, letting him know that he was ready to pass on too.

 

“ **We had a good run brat. I’m just glad I could spend it with you.** ” He held out his fist for his final gesture. But Naruto moved past the curled hand and hugged the fox as best as he could, the Nine-Tails reciprocating as he wrapped his tails and arms around his container. Kurama could feel them both weakening as their energy ebbed away, being dispersed into the world as the seal was designed to do. But something felt off, the seal was drawing from another source, in fact it was drawing on the seal that had created his cage, taking the chakra that held it together at a near unnoticeable rate. The great fox unfurled himself as he stepped back and looked at his partner, and when he saw the solemn grin on Naruto’s face he knew something was wrong. “ **Naruto, what did you do.** ”

 

A tear fell down his already wet face, slipping past the whisker marks that were a part of him. “It’s been great Kurama, all the times we shared, even when you were just a fluffy jerk.” The chuckle that followed sounded as broken as he felt, “I really hope the afterlife is fun cause I’m definitely—” Kurama slammed his hand into the floor of his cage, interrupting Naruto, he could feel it, he could feel the seal cutting back from absorbing his chakra and instead drawing from the seal that kept him contained.

 

“ **Naruto what the hell did you do!** ” The boy gave one last smile before one of the walls of the sewer crumbled away leading to a white void, its light illuminating the once dark cavern.

 

“Well, I may be dying but you’re not finished just yet Kurama. When the seal releases you should be able to reform in a couple of years, same with your siblings. Just do me a favor and do what I couldn’t. Promise?” Kurama could feel himself being dragged into the light, knowing it was far too late to stop the rapidly unraveling seal. No. No! He wouldn’t leave his friend like this! They were Partners. They did everything together, and nothing apart. **No** , this **would** **not** happen.

 

“ **Naruto** **stop!** **You’re not** **thinking** **clearly!** ” The once mighty fox struck his claws into the ground as he felt the ground giving way, trying in vain to stop the vacuum from taking him from his home. His own Chakra becoming his enemy as its explosive force sought freedom. The desperation showed on the Kitsune’s face and in his voice, true, utter despair coursing through him.

 

“Kurama, you’ve gotta promise me, it’s the only way I’ll be able to rest. Believe it.” He was beginning to fade away know, his chakra nearly gone as both seals reached their end.

 

Kurama was panicking now, he couldn’t, no not like this. They had been through so much together, his Kit was just as much a part of him as the very tails that gave him his title. The blond couldn’t make him leave, he was the strongest of the Tailed Beasts! “ **I** **promise!** **But** **Naruto** **come** **with** **me!** ” The mighty Kyūbi’s voice cracked as panic overwhelmed him. “ **We** **can** **fix** **this,** **we** **can—** ” He was yanked back quickly this time, almost losing purchase as he slid away. It was impossible to stop now, even if the damn stubborn brat had a change of heart, it was far too late now.

 

Naruto smiled one last time, the tears on his face slipping down his crinkled cheeks as he said goodbye. “Thanks Kurama. I can honestly say you were my best friend, my family.” He gave a sad chuckle as the chakra that sustained him faded the last bit. “I guess I won’t get to be Hokage, huh?”

 

And he was gone.

 

Kurama felt tears fall from his eyes as he tried to stay, claws once used to attack now slipping from their purchase in the sewer as the seal finally unraveled. He had wished for freedom once, but now he would give anything to just go back in his cage, back to a time when his blond kit was just a little boy and not the self-sacrificing hero he was today.

 

The Nine-Tailed fox would give anything to go back to that rainy day that Naruto had first cried in an alley, wishing that he had a family to celebrate his birthday with. Kurama would give anything to just go back and draw the boy into his seal and curl around the broken child, to show him that however far he felt from those around him, he would always be loved.

 

As the last bits of stone gave way Kurama went back to the first day they had spoken, on Naruto’s 9th birthday as the boy once again cried in the alley while it rained.

 

_The small child looked up at the towering fox, tears still sliding from his red eyes._

_The fox was the first to speak, “ **Why have you come here, jailor? Do you wish to taunt me with your freedom?** ”_

_The boy just sniffled, bringing a hand up to wipe some of the tears away from his eyes, “Why are you so angry?”_

_The question caught the kitsune off guard, here was a little child, and instead of running in fear he asked him a question he hadn’t heard since he last saw the Old Man. Kurama laid down, placing his head on top of his crossed arms. “ **Wouldn’t you be pissed if people threw you in a cage and forgot you existed? Especially since you had done nothing to them other than simply existing?** ”_

_The boy’s eyes widened as he looked at the fox, his voice quiet as he responded. “So you’re just like me.” The fox jerked back as if he’d been slapped, the water in the cavern rippling as he moved._

_“ **You insolent brat! We’re nothing alike!** ” _

_The child only smiled, not frightened by the now growling fox. “You’re just like me, it’s just that instead of being like me and getting sad you just got mad at everybody.” The Nine-Tailed Fox was once again stupefied, here was a 9 year old child, who understood him better than any had since his Father had left him. The boy walked through the bars of his cage, uncaring of the danger Kurama posed, and hugged one of his tails, “Well, it’s okay now! I’ll just be sad for you and you can be mad for me! That way when we’re tired of being sad and mad we won’t be lonely and then we can be happy together!” The fox looked down at the little kit who hugged one of his tails, overcoming the shock that this meeting had caused._

_“ **I guess I’ll be benevolent enough to tolerate your presence, but don’t think this means we’re friends or something! I am the mighty Kyūbi no Kitsune!** ” _

_The boy just laughed as he shoved his face into the warm tail that wrapped around him. “It’s okay! We don’t have to be friends right now! I’ll just have to come back everyday until we are though!”_

_The fox just gave the slightest smirk as he settled down and wrapped around the small kit._

 

As the strongest of the Bijū tumbled away and into the void between death and life he gave a last, broken cry that reverberated through the realm in between, and the grief stricken call would never be forgotten for as long as time itself still flowed.

 

“ ** _NARUTOOO!_** ”

 

* * *

 

There’s a weird thing that happens when the life force of two near gods are released upon the world, their potency far outshining anything ever seen before. As the people turned to look back a white pillar filled the sky. And before anyone could utter a word they were hit by a wave of, _life_. Its embrace spreading out and touching every corner of the Elemental Nations, permanently leaving its mark on the land.

 

In Iwa where mountains rose and ice caps reined the cold was swept away and the sun shone brightly, giving to the growth of plants that were there as crops miraculously sprung up, filling the area with vibrancy and life that was never before possible. The people cheered joyously as they basked in the power that saturated the land.

 

Sunagakure was the site of a miracle as trees began bursting from the sand, as if Hashirama himself had given them life. Following the rise of overgrowth, rivers of water burst from the depths of the dust and flowed through the land, making many believe that the famed sibling of the Shodaime, Tobirama Senju, had come to bless the parched lands, nourishing the people and making the silt rich in ways never dreamed.

 

Mizu no Kuni’s everlasting mist that had forever dimmed the land lifted, bathing the people in the glorious rays of sunlight as if Kami had took pity on the people of Water. The citizens ran from their homes, children running and laughing as they played and the adults danced and rejoiced, the once foreboding days of the Bloody Mist seeming to have fell from their minds.

 

In Lightning Country the once frigid temperatures rose and the snow melted, creating sparkling creeks that reflected the sun’s glow, bathing the houses and buildings in kaleidoscopes of colors as rainbows were born from the reflections, bringing awe to the eyes of its people when they came from within their homes. The populace came free from the dread of the war and their militaristic ways, breaking into dance and song as the skies cleared for the first time in a long while, lyrics that would make Killer Bee himself proud were wrote in remembrance of the Day of Light.

 

The Land of Fire’s greenery bloomed into fields of flowers as if spring had come early, enveloping the country in color that, if one were to view from above, would make even the pickiest of artist’s shed a tear at the pure beauty that engulfed the land. And in Konoha, among a clearing with three training post and a black stone a sapling sprung from the ground, quickly flourishing and growing to heights above that of even the Hokage Mountain, and most curiously grew around the area of the stone, as if its Will was to protect it, and left an opening in its trunk to walk to the memorial.

 

With all of these wonders there was one place where things did not change, a lone field surrounded by forest and hidden away from the world. In the center of this place lie two flowers under the cover of a lone wisteria tree, a yellow marigold and a red hibiscus intertwined as they had grown from the ground.

 

In this Sanctuary of Peace, it rained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm back! This revision made me cry several times.


End file.
